Roosevelt Island Tram

We took a ride on the Roosevelt Island Tram yesterday. The tram connects Manhattan with Roosevelt Island, a narrow strip of land in the middle of the East River. The Island is two miles long, running from 46th Street to 85th Street in Manhattan, and is 800 feet across at its widest point. 

We got on the tram at 59th St and 2nd Ave in Manhattan. It only costs as much as a subway fare and is really fun. Its highest point is 250 feet and it runs parallel to the Queensborough Bridge. The views were great and the ride was really fun.  

Tram pulling into station.

Queensborough Bridge as we are just starting to rise.

 

View up 2nd Avenue.

Getting higher.

Loved looking at the bridge from this angle.

East River: Manhattan on left, Roosevelt Island on right.

Getting closer to the Island. Queens beyond.

Edge of Upper East Side Manhattan: Love how the buildings are crowded right to the edge.

The tram ride is only a few minutes long, but Brian and I really enjoyed it. We exited on Roosevelt Island to do some exploring. Over 12,000 people live on this little island! It houses lots of historic landmarks that we were eager to see.

Right away you could tell that you were away from Manhattan, and Queens for that matter. The island was very quiet and calm even though you could hear the rush of traffic and noise coming from Manhattan. It was like we had stepped into a different town. It was a nice little community located within a huge city. Right out off of the tram, you have an excellent view underneath the bridge and across the river. I loved the large stone base supports holding up the bridge. 

They have a row of cherry trees planted along the bottom left edge of the island. We came at the perfect time to see them in bloom!

Midtown Manhattan: Tall blue and white building on the left is the United Nations.

We had brought a copy of a walking tour with us and set off north up the edge of the island for some exploring. The views along the river were awesome! It was so calm and peaceful strolling up the waterfront. We have both come to recognize quiet places, since that is not the norm for us, and we soaked up the stillness.

After walking for awhile, we turned around and had a great view of the Queensborough Bridge.

Just after the Revolutionary war, the Island was known as Blackwell's Island. The only buildings on it were two small houses, one barn, a bake and fowl house and a cider mill. There was also a large orchard, stone quarries and running springs. This house is the Blackwell House and was built in 1796. Although it has since been restored, the foundation is original. It is one of the oldest surviving farmhouses in New York City.

We walked the entire length of the island. At the tip of the north end is a small lighthouse. It is 50 feet tall and was erected in 1872. The lighthouse is built of stone from the island's quarry.

South of the lighthouse is The Octagon Tower. This building was first used as the central hall for the first city lunatic asylum. Originally, there were two hospital wings connected to the tower. We read about how awful the conditions were here. It held 1,700 hundred patients when it was only built to hold 850. Charles Dickens visited the place in 1843 and wrote about how terribly crowded the place was. This is where reporter Nellie Bly had herself committed in 1887 as an inmate to do some undercover work. She later wrote articles about the horrible treatment of the inmates, exposing the goings on to the public. The hospital wings were eventually torn down. Today it is restored as part of an apartment complex.

We made a loop around the top part of the island and crossed under the bridge to visit the southern end. I snapped a shot of a tram crossing over our heads.

This is called the Cherry Tree Walk. I was in love. We have been planning to visit the island for a few weeks now, but it just never seemed to work out. I'm so glad we were delayed so that we got the chance to enjoy the trees in full bloom. I thought about these trees as I was singing "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" today with my primary kids. 

Another great view of Manhattan.

From 1921-1973 the island was known as Welfare Island. There were a combined total of eight hospitals and asylums on the island built between 1828 and the the early 20th century. The insane, ill and destitute were relocated here and that is why the island was renamed. At the southernmost tip we found the remains of the Smallpox Hospital built in 1854 to house those suffering from the outbreak of the disease. It was later turned into a nursing school, the third nursing school in the United States.

Most of the hospitals and asylums were abandoned in the 1950's. Today Roosevelt Island is a normal community with stores, churches, libraries and small shops. We really enjoyed our visit.

mid-Manhattan

Underneath the Queensborough Bridge.

We stopped and shared an ice cream cone before taking the tram back to Manhattan. Again we enjoyed the awesome views on the way back to the city.

View from the tram heading back to Manhattan.

2nd Avenue stretching to the south end of Manhattan

We stopped at Dylan's Candy Bar a fun candy store located right by our subway stop. It smelled amazing inside and although we didn't get anything, it was fun to look at all the bins and shelves of candy. We did get to try a free sample of yummy chocolate, so I'm glad we stopped!